Category: Blog

Silverfish harp mics are Guaranteed!

Its worth rembering that if you buy one of my custom mics you are also getting a guarantee as

“all harmonica microphones are supplied with a 12 months warranty”

The Silverfish Harp Mics are incredibly robust and are precision built for reliable quality. They are very durable and should last a life-time. However in the event of a problem with any of the components all harmonica microphones are supplied with a 12 months warranty. This comprises a no quibble 12 months parts and labour warranty.

The guarantee excludes damage to the housing through dropping or miss-use and the guarantee is void if the microphone has been dismantled. The guarantee includes the cost of returning the microphone to you; however excludes covering your return postage costs. If you give me a shout I’ll give you details of the return address.

Just to let you know that customisated harmonicas are not covered by this guarantee. This is because the harmonica reeds and plates are made by one of the mainstream manufacturers (such as Hohner) and I have no control over the quality of their harps. Reed plates do vary! None the less ; although all reasonable concerns will be addressed relating to the customisation and comb – so no need for concerns. You’d be getting a quality harp that you will definitely be happy with – and eventually if the reed plate gives up the ghost, the customised work can be easily transfered to a new replacement harp or a new comb can be relatively easily exchanged.

Cheers Rick
www.silverfish-harmonicas.com

Customised harmonicas

These are high quality precision – hand made customisations mostly using bamboo. This produces a hamonica with a comb that is as hard as nails (and highly resilliant to moisture), looks absolutely superb  but most importantly feels comfortable in your hand and mouth.

If you are interested see photos on this site or at my facebook page: (www.facebook.com/customharmonicasandmics)

Styles vary from oversized and rounded – fitting your hand like a glove – to a neat squared off comb that replaces the existing one producing a quality and unique instrument with a comfy feel and good looks.

The benefit of customisation goes beyond looks in that the harp is a LOT more comfortable to play with the holes slighted edged off and the rounded wood in your hand.

A range of colour tones – from natural through to very dark coffee coloured allows you to differentiate between your different keys through colour and style of the custom harps. In other words – it’s an excellent idea to have a range of different custom harps for different keys within your set! Although obvoiusly this would cost a bit so you may like to stick the ones you play most!

Please note: that custom harps are sometimes defined as those with reeds different than the standard manufacturer’s production harps. These harps have not been adjusted or re-tuned/gapped as it is extremely difficult to provide a modified reedplate that suits everyone. You can probably appreciate that these would produce both advantages and disadvantages – compared to the factory (out of the box) harps – so I’ve decided not to go down that route!

Anyway – if you are interested in envesting in either customising oneh of you much loved harps or getting a new one – then let me know and we can discuss details.  The shop on this website also alows you to buy a new custom marine band of a key of your choice (selected at the time of purchase).

£130 isn’t a lot when you conisder how long a hand crafted precision harp takes to build… roughly two days! If you are mad about harmonicas then it’s worth it!

 

Kenny Boag and the Blues Devils are doing a gig on the evening of the 12th October in the “Ferry” in Glasgow. This is a charity gig with a great line-up including three other well known bands – promising a brilliant evening of cool blues music and some great harmonica playing from Kenny – using his “silverfish harmonica mic”! Kenny has been playing harp for nearly 30 years and is a self proclaimed gear and tone junkie – owning several vintage microphones and a silverfish harm mic (II) as well as a much loved and specially customised Fender Blues Deville amp.

Kenny has been playing the harp for nearly 30 years and started playing with bands in his early twenties, initially with a folk band before moving into a relatively successful rockabilly/blues band “Bluesville Express”. Gigging mostly in and around the central belt of Scotland, Kenny enjoying a minor renaissance at the time and the band did pretty well.
Kenny then joined a more traditional blues band “Bogus Bob” and played throughout Scotland before moving to the “Blues Devils”. It was one of those perfect and fortuitous situations bringing together four outstanding musicians with a passion for the blues; who also become close personal friends.

The Blues Devils now enjoy success and notoriety playing at blues festivals and venues throughout the UK which has included several appearances at the Great British Blues, Burnley, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Appleby Blues festivals. The band plays both cover versions of blues classics as well as their own material – featured on compilation CDs, most notably “Jocks Juke Joint Volume 3”. This album has won several awards and received rave reviews and air play across Europe, North America and here in the UK. Kenny has also written articles for blues magazines and websites on amplified harp tone and on building your own harp rig.
Why not drop in to the Ferry on Saturday night to hear Kenny perform some of his amazing blues! His performance is going to be recorded mind, and the plan is to post a link to some of his tracks performed on the night on http://www.silverfish-harmonicas.com soon after. So in case you can’t make it to the gig take a look on the website which will also give you a chance to hear the silverfish harp mic in action in the hands of a really cool harp player!
Rick

I’m Rick Park and welcome to my custom harmonica and mic web-site and store! I hope you like my custom harps and mics and find time to leave a comment – not just about the site and my stuff, but anything about harmonicas. Please help me get this site going – whether or not you fancy buying any of my harp gear!

I thought I’d start by explaining how I started my love affair with the harmonica.. it kicked off when I was ten (back in 1971) when my dad gave me my first harmonica – a diatonic honer harmonica in G – and taught me to play ”home on the range”. It was such a cool sound and that was before I discovered the blues! I’ve loved the soulful sound of the harp ever since then although I’ve still got a long way to go in all the instruments I play – harmonica, banjo and violin; especially the harmonica.

My coolest moment with a harmonica was during my travels on a motorcycle around Australia, a couple of years after finishing my marine biology degree (that’s my trade). As free as a bird I was traveling with my girlfriend and living in a tent; hardly any cash, wild camping and cooking meals in the open – living under the stars. It was good – really good! I had with me my Hohner Chromonica which I’d bought at uni, and I’d often pull a few tunes in the evening – enjoying the moment and passing lazy times.

I was in Queensland in a really remote spot, at the end of miles of dirt road, not far from a wooded creek which was lush with tropical growth and there was plenty of wildlife kicking about. It was another fabulous night – hot and humid with a sky full of stars. It was late and I was playing a few tunes when the wild dingo dogs joined in! If that doesn’t qualify as cool what came next definitely does. Excited and enjoying my wild accompaniment I was taken aback when suddenly a squeeze box joined in and skilfully played along! Now we were really remote so this was quite a surprise – but kept playing a while; ending in cheers, distant clapping and laughter! Another couple, German I seemed to recall, traveling and living their dream.

I’d love to hear what it is about the harp that does it for you, and some of the good times you’ve had playing along. Cheers – Rick